Re: Asm source code page?

On Sat, 9 Jan 2016 22:47:23 -0800, Craig Carmichael wrote:

>... ideas for web pages of sample code in Asm?

Just as an additional note...

If you are interested in writing assembly-only projects for
the MSP430 and MSP430X families, I'd recommend using IAR's
Kickstart tools. Their assembler is quite general-purpose and
does NOT have any code size limitations at all. See:

http://supp.iar.com/FilesPublic/UPDINFO/004578/infocenter/product_packages.html

where the 2nd bullet under the Kickstart heading says, "The
IAR Assembler delivered is the full version without any
restrictions" and the 3rd bullet expands, "The IAR XLINK
Linker will link ... an unlimited amount of code originating
from assembly code." (The 4th bullet adds, "The IAR KickStart
C-SPY Simulator ... is unlimited in the amount of assembly
code read.") This pretty much means you get an excellent
assembler/linker toolset, plus a very nice IDE and debugger
for coding purposes and ZERO cost to you. I've used IAR for
assembly coding development and I really like the tools a
lot, as they present a very clean, orthogonal design with all
the features you need. Other assembler tools I've used, off
and on, tend to have odd "limitations" which are frustrating
at times. IAR's tools "just work well." Never wished for a
feature that I couldn't already find in IAR's assembler +
linker toolset.

You can also explore C/C++ with IAR's tools, but the free
Kickstart version does limit your final application size. 
IAR asks a "fairly high price" for unlimited C/C++ code
sizes. If you do plan on mixing C and assembly and plan on
developing larger applications then you should consider other
tools for a cost/benefit analysis. A starting point might be
TI's page here:

http://www.ti.com/lsds/ti/microcontrollers_16-bit_32-bit/msp/tools_software.page

However, be aware that this page in no way provides all your
options. Rowley and ImageCraft are just two such examples
that you don't see there:

http://www.rowley.co.uk/msp430/
https://www.imagecraft.com/devtools_MSP430.html

I'm sure there are others, as well, that aren't included in
the TI page.

If you are doing this all as a hobby, then you are free to
make your own choices about assembly-only or mixed coding
styles. Whatever makes you happy works just fine.

If you have your own product/product-line in mind, then you
need to be aware of licensing issues (libraries used, as well
as compiler generated output) for the tools you apply. I
believe you can use the IAR assembler/linker toolchain for
commercial products without paying them a fee, so long as you
are careful about library use (not using any library other
than public domain would be safer.) It sounds like you might
be in this frame of mind, but it is hard to tell.

For professional contract work, you will want to be able to
support mixed assembly and C/C++. Clients deserve to have the
widest range of options available for their project
development so that the overall development process can be
optimized for them, weighing all conditions appropriate to
their circumstances. You should then carefully study the
various commercial options. But you should ALSO contact the
vendors, too, and speak or write to a human there and get a
feel for what contact and support will be like after you buy
their tools. Most MSP430 vendors should be pretty good, I
think. But it helps to make contact and see how things play
out before making a final decision and spending your money.

As an employee in an organization with more than one
programmer, which does NOT sound like your situation, you do
what has been established by careful consideration of your
team members. If you are a sole employee, then I suppose you
get to make your own choices but you need to make them well
for those depending on you.
\
Jon


------------------------------------
Posted by: Jon Kirwan <[email protected]>
------------------------------------

To unsubscribe from the msp430 group, send an email to:
[email protected]